Jessica Ferguson is ready to ‘Go’

Jessica Ferguson grew up anticipating a life onstage. Musicals. Broadway. Three bucks, two bags, one her. (Annie reference, thank you very much.) The Sugar Land native was a repeat performer for both Theatre Under the Stars (The Sound of Music, It’s a Wonderful Life) and Masquerade Theatre (Godspell, Seussical, Grease).

“It was always theater for me,” Ferguson, now 22, says. “When I was four years old, my mom put me into competitive dancing. I was constantly getting in trouble from my teacher for singing the words while dancing. I was the only one in the group picking, like, Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler.”

Ferguson did end up onstage, but not in the way she was expecting. She’s now a burgeoning pop starlet with a clubby single, Go, and a slinky persona. A former voice teacher introduced Ferguson to a producer, which eventually spurred a move to Los Angeles in 2009. (Her parents, realtor dad and stay-at-home mom, still live in Houston.)

“It’s gone by so fast. It’s crazy,” she says, a flush of girlish wonder in her voice.

“I remember being in my room, just listening to Britney Spears all the time, trying to reenact everything that she did. It was always a dream of mine.”

Go was produced by Cameron Wallace, best-known for his work on Beyoncé hit Upgrade U (along with tunes for Yelawolf and Mya), at Lucky Run Studio in Richmond. Frequent Chris Brown collaborator Kevin McCall (K-Mac), contributes a brief rap break. A video was completed late last year and should be out soon, followed by an EP.

“I love dance music. This track came on, and I felt it,” Ferguson says. She was home this week for a slew of performances, including stops at Warehouse Live and F Bar.

“I love those entertainers like Michael Jackson, JLo, Justin Timberlake, Janet, Beyoncé — that just can put on a show. They all have their own way of being able to just take you.”

Ferguson was in private school through eighth grade and then home-schooled, save for a year at Elkins High School in Missouri City that “just didn’t work.” She credits her parents with helping guide her musical dreams — wherever they take her.

“I just feel like music found me, really. It’s helped me through so much,” she says. “Growing up, I remember I saw my first stage show performance of Annie Get Your Gun. I was like five years old. We got the video footage, and I went home and watched that video every day.

“I was Annie Oakley for months. My mom has always said I looked up at her and said, ‘I want to do that.’”

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Diva deluxe: Beyoncé — she’s hands-down my Idol. She can do no wrong.

Missing Houston: Barnaby’s — I love it. Their turkey burger is to die for. I’ve never found a turkey burger as good as theirs. With the pesto, and their honey mustard is so good.

First concert: NSync. I had so much fun. The one defining moment I remember was when they came out, and they were all dressed up in like disco attire. They did a cover of Celebration. I don’t know why I remember that so well.